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Bo De Tinh Tam Chay is so serene it can transport you to a meditative state. The sound of trickling water flows through the dining room, a peaceful backing-track that blocks out the occasional clangs and whirs that erupt from the kitchen. A forest of fake bamboo surrounds the dining area, and Buddhas are placed throughout the room

The Westminster restaurant is not reserved about its Buddhism (the restaurant's name is derived from the sacred Bodhi tree, and Buddhist brochures and texts are strategically stationed near the doors), and with that comes a boundless menu of vegetarian Vietnamese cooking.

Although Bo De's Beach Boulevard branch is a mere 3 months old, the restaurant's roots are far deeper, having outgrown a long-standing location near the Asian Garden mall on Bolsa Avenue. There, the restaurant operates in a comparatively cramped space that, by virtue of both size and reputation, is constantly crowded.

That original location remains, but the second Bo De is even better -- the expansive Beach Boulevard restaurant brings all of Bo De's 100-plus meatless meals into a significantly more upscale and impressive setting.